Vinalhaven draws man from N.C. as manager

VINALHAVEN – A North Carolina man will take the helm from longtime Town Manager Susan Lessard, who is leaving for another job.

Greg McGinnis of Concord, N.C., had not yet signed a one-year contract with the town, Emily Lane, chairwoman of selectmen, said Thursday, but the board approved his hiring at Monday’s meeting.

McGinnis serves as assistant city manager for Kannapolis, N.C., which has a population of about 38,000, Lane said.

He has been in that position since October 1998. Previously, he was a budget analyst for the city of Charlotte, N.C., and a management intern in the city manager’s office there.

He earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., and his master’s degree in public affairs from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

McGinnis and his wife, Karen, and their daughter are expected to come to the island next month, moving into Brown’s Head Light, which is owned by the town. The lighthouse is one of the perks given to the town manager. He will also earn $42,000 plus benefits during his six-month probationary period.

According to Lane, it was the “quality of life that Maine offers” and the fact that McGinnis has relatives in Camden that drew him to the island post. He wanted to live in a small town, she said.

The island has a year-round population of about 1,300, which swells to more than 6,000 during the summer.

McGinnis competed against 42 applicants who came from all over the country, Lane said. When Lessard applied for the job seven years ago, there were 90 candidates.

Until McGinnis arrives, Administrative Assistant Barbara Philbrook will fill in, Lane said, noting that he is expected to start Jan. 15.

Lessard, who has been the island’s longest-serving town manager, will work her final day today.

She will begin her new job Monday as town manager of Hampden, according to a town office worker there.